When Love Wins Amidst Fear

( by Prof. REJIE F. PALMOS, LPT, RGC, PhD, West Visayas State University)

When I was a child, I dreamt of becoming an engineer. I realized however that I didn’t just want to build bridges, buildings and other structures. Instead, I wanted to build “bridges of love” for humanity – so I became a teacher and a guidance counselor.

 

COMMITMENT…

              In 1995, I was among the TEN OUTSTANDING STUDENTs OF THE PHILIPPINES (TOSP). When President Fidel V. Ramos handed to me the trophy at Malacañan, he asked if I wanted to work in the Palace. I blushed and thanked him but replied that I needed to go back to Iloilo because my pupils were waiting for me! He smiled in quiet admiration and in his speech, he shared our brief exchange. My commitment to come home to my pupils was stronger than the offer to work in Malacañan. 

 

CHALLENGE…

                As a teacher, I never stopped learning and innovating but my greatest challenge was learning to use a laptop.  I did not own a smartphone nor a Facebook account.  I did not know how to do group chat either!  Even when I was abroad, I had to request someone to “friend” my mom in FB so that I can call using Messenger. Yes, I was technologically challenged!

                 When the pandemic struck, I found myself reacquainted with my inner fright – that of not knowing how to use gadgets. I told myself: this time, I MUST LEARN. I took advantage of the quarantine time to overcome my fears and synergize my strengths. Eventually, I knew how to use a smartphone and a laptop, conduct webinars, use Goggle classroom, be on FB and GC for self-improvement and for my students’ welfare. Recently, I speak in webinars for the Philippine Association for Teachers & Educators (PAFTE), TOSP National, and Teresian Association International.

 

COMPASSION…

                Love is the language of understanding. Becoming a teacher made me build bridges and not walls. As I started to work with technology, I vowed to integrate the “nurturing dimension” of the person. I saw in the eyes of the young the excitement to learn in my webinars and the teary eyes of teachers whenever their sensibilities are touched. I love my vocation, my mission, and my profession. It is not an accident that I was placed here, it is borne out of love.

                 I remember Blessed Victoria Diez, a public school teacher, when she said, “I don’t mind going to the ends of the world if it is where I would give glory to God.” So, make use of this moment to refocus our strengths using technology for the common good. It is when love wins amidst fear.

 

(Professor Palmos is a recipient of the following awards: 1995 Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines, 2015 Metrobank Outstanding Filipino Teacher, 2016 CSC Pag-asa Award, and 2018 NEDA Outstanding Volunteer)